Median income earners pay tens of thousands in taxes every year, but the exact amount has changed over time as income levels have increased and tax rates have fluctuated.

To determine the average American’s tax bill over the last 20 years, GOBankingRates looked at the median income for each year and the historical tax rates to calculate how much of those making the median income would have paid in taxes. Find out how much Americans have been paying in taxes throughout the years.

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1997

Median income: $37,005

Approximate amount paid in taxes: $10,361

If you think you pay high taxes now, keep in mind that things were worse in the ’90s. From 1997 through 2000, the percentage those earning the median income paid toward taxes was 28 percent. By comparison, in 2017, it was 25 percent.

1998

Median income: $38,885

Approximate amount paid in taxes: $10,888

In 1998, anything over $278,450 was income taxed at the highest rate if you were part of the highest tax bracket — by 2017, that amount rose to $470,701. The highest income earners were taxed at a 39.6 percent rate.

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1999

Median income: $40,696

Approximate amount paid in taxes: $11,395

In 1999, earnings up to $43,050 were taxable under the lowest historic tax bracket. Although the average median income earner paid over $11,000 in taxes this year, Americans living in one of the states with the lowest tax bills likely paid less.

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2000

Median income: $41,990

Approximate amount paid in taxes: $11,757

Since 2000, tax rates for the lowest tax bracket and the median tax bracket have decreased. This year was the last year in tax history that the lowest tax bracket was taxed at a rate of 15 percent.

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2001

Median income: $42,228

Approximate amount paid in taxes: $11,613

In 2001, the lowest bracket’s tax rate dropped from 15 percent to 10 percent, the highest tax bracket’s rate dropped from 39.6 percent to 39.1 percent, and the median income earner’s tax rate dropped from 28 percent to 27.5 percent.

2002

Median income: $42,409

Approximate amount paid in taxes: $11,450

The percentage median income earners were taxed at dropped again in 2002, from 27.5 percent the previous year to 27 percent. The tax rate for the highest tax bracket also dropped, from 39.1 percent to 38.6 percent.

2003

Median income: $43,318

Approximate amount paid in taxes: $10,830

The last year that income tax rates dropped for the highest tax bracket and the median income tax bracket was 2003. The highest tax bracket was taxed at a rate of 35 percent from 2003 through 2012, and the median tax bracket has been taxed at a rate of 25 percent through 2017.

2016

The tax bracket that the median household income fell into in 2016 ranged from $50,401 to $130,150.

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2017

Median income: $61,372

Approximate amount paid in taxes: $15,343

Tax Year 2017 is the last year the highest tax bracket was taxed at a rate of 39.6 percent. Under the tax reform, the highest earners will be taxed at a rate of 37 percent. But the lowest income earners will still be taxed at a rate of 10 percent.

Methodology: GOBankingRates determined the average American’s tax bill throughout the years by finding the marginal tax rate an American earning the national median income would pay in taxes each year between 1997 and 2017, as well as the tax bracket that person would fall into. The tax bracket that is used for this study is head of household. Historical median income was then multiplied by the respective tax rate. Tax data was sourced from Tax Foundation and IRS; median income was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau.

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